Breeching.



A. SHORT.

BBEEGHING.

APPLIGATIOH FILED 00T. 1o 190s.

971,6959 Patented ot.4,191.

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ALBERT SHORT, 0F CEDAR VALE, KANSAS.

BREECHIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

Application filed October 10, 1908. Serial No. 457,112.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT SHORT, citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Vale, in the county of Chautauqua and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breeching, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in harness and the invention has for its object an improved breeching construction in which the breeching is adj ustably connected to one of the supporting stays through the medium of a buckle that is interposed between the breeching strap and the usual layer strap and is provided at its lower end with a perpendicularly and outwardly disposed extension affording a continuous bearing surface which abuts the adjacent longitudinal edge of the layer strap, whereby to maintain the buckle. in position against accidental displacement.

A further object of the invention is a device of this character embodying a filling block fitted within the frame to permit the laye-r strap to extend smoothly thereacross, the layer strap being` sewed to the breeching strap through the interposed filling block, thus holding the latter firmly in place to further brace the buckle against displacement.

With these and other objects in view that will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts that I shall. hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novel features of in the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved harness applied; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the intermediate buckle, shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line P-4 of Fig. 2; and, Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the terminal buckle.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

A harness constructed in accordance with my invention embodies a conventional breeching strap 1 that is provided at its outer face with the usual relatively narrow layer strap 2, the layer strap extending entirely around the breeching strap and being stitched along its longitudinal edgesthereto as indicated at 2a.

interposed between the straps 1 and 2 at a suitable distance from the adjacent end of the breeching, is a `vertically disposed buckle frame which is substantially rectangular and is composed of side bars 12 and upper and lower cross bars, designated 13 and 13 respectively. The upper portion of the buckle frame projects above the upper longitudinal edge of the layer strap 2 and is provided above and in close proximity to said edge with an intermediate cross bar 14, on which a strap-engaging tongue 15 is pivotally mounted at one end, the free end of the tongue being arranged to abut the upper cross bar 13 and being designed for adjustable engagement with the rear supporting stay or branch 9 of the hip strap 10. Above the intermediate cross bar the upper portion of the buckle frame is deflected laterally and outwardly at an incline, as indicated at 12a, so as to permit thc free end of said stay to extend downwardly across the layer strap (see Fig. 2). A filling block 17 is fitted within the buckle frame between the side bars 12 and the lower and intermediate bars 13gL and 14, and is of sufiicient thickness to cause the layer strap to extend smoothly across the frame, the layer strap being stitched to the breeching strap through the interposed filling block, so that the latter is eectually held in position and serves to maintain the buckle frame against accidental displacement. The lower cross bar 13a vis extended outwardly substantially at right angles to the plane of the buckle frame and affords a continuous upwardly facing bearing surface 19 that abuts against the lower longitudinal edges of the layer st-rap and filling block to positively hold the buckle against accidental displacement when subjected to excessive upward strain. This extended portion projects outwardly beyond the layer strap and is slotted beyond the same to constitute a keeper loop 16 for retaining t-he free end of the stay 9.

The intermediate buckle hereinbefore described and incorporated in the breeching in the manner specilied, formsv the essential feature of the present invention. It will be apparent that such an arrangement embodies to a marked degree the characteristics of simplicity and strength and is both inexpensive and thoroughly practical and efficient.

The breeching may be connected at its end to the forward stay 92L in any approved manner, although the preferred means for effecting this connection is illustrated in the drawing, wherein I have employed a terminal buckle, the frame of which consists of side bars 3 and upper and lower cross bars 4. In proximity to the upper cross bar the frame is provided with an intermediate cross bar 7 on which is pivotally mounted a tongue S designed for adjustable engagement with the forward breeching stay. Above the cross bar the upper portion of the buckle frame is deflected laterally and outwardly at an incline (see Fig. 5), so as to permit the said stay to extend freely downwardly across the buckle frame and to be readily inserted through a substantially perpendicularly and outwardly disposed keeper loop 1l carried by the lower cross bar el. Between the intermediate and lower cross bars, the side bars of the frame are bowed oppositely, as indicated at 5, the layer strap passing around one of said bowed portions to pivotally connect the terminal buckle to the breeching. A holdback strap (S passed about the other bowed portion and in the present instance, in a double harness, connects the breeching to the choke strap to permit the draft animal to hold back on the vehicle when going down hill.

In the foregoing description only onehalf of the breeching, that is, the part of the breeching on one side of the horse, has been referred to, but it is to be understood that the other half of the breeching is a duplicate of the part described.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A harness including a breeching strap, a layer strap, abuckle frame interposed loetween the said straps, with its end portions projecting beyond the opposite longitudinal edges of the layer strap, a buckle tongue carried by one of the projecting end portions of the frame, a substantially perpendicularly outwardly disposed extension formed at the other projecting end portion of the frame and providing a continuous outstanding bearing shoulder abutting against the adjacent longitudinal edge of the layer strap to hold the frame against displacement from the straps, the extension projecting outwardly beyond the outer face of the layer strap and being formed beyond the same with a slot and a breeching stay engaged with the buckle tongue and extending across and lying against the outer face of the layer strap with its free end retained in said slot.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT SHORT. lVitnesscs IV. L. CHRISTIE, IRVIN I. CHRISTIE. 

